Robbie Searcy from ERCOT

“We are expecting cold weather to continue through tomorrow morning’s high demand period, and some generation capacity has become unavailable due to limitations to natural gas supplies,” explained director of system operations Dan Woodfin. “This is a precautionary measure to help ensure we can maintain overall reliability through this high-demand period.”

ERCOT peak demand Thursday morning exceeded 57,000 megawatts and could reach or break the 57,277 megawatt record before winter weather pushes through the state. ERCOT is the grid operator for most of Texas.

To ease demand on the state power grid Texas consumers are being asked to:

— Keep the thermostat as low as is comfortable, preferably no higher than 68 degrees— Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances— Avoid running large appliances such as washers, dryers and electric ovens during peak energy demand hours (6 a.m. – 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.)— Close shades and blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows— Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes— Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible